Regina Ip: Only 'glitches' Holding Up Quarantine Cut

Executive Council convenor Regina Ip on Sunday said the administration is working to shorten quarantine periods for inbound travellers, saying only 'technical glitches' stand in the way of an official announcement.

At present, anyone arriving in the SAR must isolate for a week in a hotel, but officials earlier said they’re looking to let people spend part of that time at home.

Speaking to reporters after appearing on a Commercial Radio programme, Ip said ministers were working hard to reduce hotel quarantine and implement a "health code" system to ensure that recently-arrived people can't go to high-risk places.

“As the Chief Executive and Secretary of Health Lo Chung-mau have said publicly, they are working on measures to reduce quarantine time, and introduce health codes to prevent community transmission,” she said.

“I think they’re working very hard to achieve this goal, and will make the announcement as soon as all technical glitches have been ironed out.”

She added that reopening the border with the mainland is top of the agenda, with officials mulling the risk of quarantine-free travel.

The New People’s Party chairwoman also told the radio programme that the administration needs to do more to retain talented people who want to leave the SAR, but expressed confidence that more people will come to Hong Kong once border restrictions are lifted.

“As for the outflow of Hong Kong people, this is not a new problem. It is extremely important to enhance our talent quest, because we have a lot of competition for top people. I’m sure the SAR government is aware of this, and we need to roll out more aggressive measures to attract and retain the best people,” she told reporters.

On the issue of housing, Ip said the government should boost land supply by developing part of the green belt while the Northern Metropolis and Lantau Tomorrow projects are still under way.